Lt.-Col. Shalom Eisner a moment before hitting the ISM agent provocateur who had broken two of his fingers.Photo Credit: YY

An IDF military court decided to go with a modified plea bargain agreement for Lt. Colonel Shalom Eisner, who had been set to be kicked out of the army.

Eisner had hit a foreign anarchist in the face, who was trying to block Highway 90 in the Jordan Valley. During the 2 hour altercation that preceded Eisner’s actions, one of the activists broke the fingers in Eisner’s hand.

The activists had filmed the April 2012 incident and disseminated a selectively edited video showing Eisner striking uncooperative anarchists with his rifle – something a lot of soldiers probably wish they could do to these foreign provocateurs.

What the film did not show was that before Eisner hit the foreign leftists, other anarchists had broken two of the officer’s fingers, and the scenes of the anarchists using their bicycles to hit and push the soldiers were also mostly cut out.

The court ordered Eisner to serve two months of public service, after which he can remain in his position for a year, instead of being dismissed right away which is what the original plea bargain had stipulated. Eisner was supposed to head up the prestigious Bahad 1 officer’s school in the Negev.

High ranking army officers, as well as the mother of a fallen soldier who was brought to burial by Eisner, praised Eisner for his sensitivity and character.

Hagit Rein, whose son was killed in the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and was brought to burial by Eisner, burst out into tears as she told the military court of Eisner’s sensitivity and involvement with the burial of her son.

At the time, no one was able to retrieve her son’s body which was trapped in the middle of a combat zone in Lebanon. Eisner upon hearing about it, jumped into a jeep, drove out, and brought the soldier’s body back to Israel.

Senior IDF officer Yehkezkiel Agai testified, “Shalom and I served together in the tank unit, I brought him into his current position as deputy commander because he is trustworthy and dedicated to his job. He is like a man who never received a traffic ticket for 40 years and then is suddenly involved in a serious accident.

“There is no question about the qualities of Shalom. There is no problem with his values or behavior. He just make a mistake.”

Sami Turgeman, head of the Southern Command, told the military judges, “As a commander of ground forces, I often have to face officers in positions that they do not like. Eisner willingly took the position as the Jordan Valley division deputy commander which is not convenient from a personal standpoint and for family life. I have no doubt that he is a highly motivated officer.”

However, Nitzan Alon head of Central Command and a long-time thorn in the side of national religious officers such as Eisner, told the court that despite Eisner’s excellent qualities, “I saw professional failures in maintaining control.”

The incident began when 250 anarchists rode their bicycles onto Highway 90, the only highway connecting the southern and northern ends of the Jordan Valley, with the stated aim of blocking the road in an illegal protest.

The division commander was on vacation at the time and left instructions for Eisner to call the police if there was any trouble.

Eisner had instead decided to deal with the protesters himself.

Anarchists struggled with the soldiers, and some of them were also “bumping” their bicycles into the IDF soldiers as a “non-violent” provocation. With two broken fingers, Eisner’s patience ran out when one of the protesters purposely stood in his way as he and his soldiers were trying to clear the demonstrators off the highway.

After the video of the confrontation went viral, Eisner was removed from duty until an investigation was completed.

On the surface, Eisner came out better than expected, because he can return to his present position after two months of public service, and will retire from the army in another year instead of being forced out right away.

Unfortunately the mistake here is that he is being forced to retire at all.

About the Author:Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu is a graduate in journalism and economics from The George Washington University. He has worked as a cub reporter in rural Virginia and as senior copy editor for major Canadian metropolitan dailies. Tzvi wrote for Arutz Sheva for several years before joining the Jewish Press.

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23 Responses to “IDF Officer Who Hit Anarchist to Keep His Job for Now”

I am glad Eisner came out of that stupid event relatively unscathed. He shouldn't have been bothered in the first place. The army (or police) must come up with innovative mesures like anti-riot equipment and specially trained intervention units – street fight specialists etc. to deal with those terrorists and "agent provocateurs". Our soldiers are not trained to deal with such events. We always seem to be surprised when such hostile new tactics are introduced and used by our enemies…Our "leadership" lacks imagination and the balls to deal with it from the first moment they occure.

They should have given Lt Col Eisner a medal for protecting Israel. I as a veteran am so sick of these politicians that want a military and then when they do what a military does they want to bring charges against the soldiers. They do it here in America too.

The man is a hero, the politically correctness is killing everyone. In my opinion he acted with remarkable restraint…such lawbreakers are 'owed' nothing, that they were handled so kindly at all is far more than they had coming. Give Eisner his job back, give him a medal for his great conduct, and send him on in his career.

Look…Eisner's an Israeli Jew. For Israeli Jews the rules are different. Sure he's a hero…Sure he's done something that probably any human being in his shoes would have done…but he's an Israeli Jew, so the rules are different for him. Every day, the Palestinians throw candy, honor and name streets after their murdering terrorists that Israel is allowing out for its prisons and the world congratulates the Arabs for it in the newspapers like because of this peace will come to the whole world. But an israeli Jew hits a provocateur and it's like he beat up and killed every baby in the maternity ward.

Israel very badly needs this hero in a top position of the IDF. He deserve a promotion and should not retire. On the other hand, the anti-Jewish Nitzon Alon is a blight on the IDF who should be force to retire, before he does more harm.

i think like and you that we simply needs this kind of hero like aizner because dear robby you know all kinds of bastards from diaspora think that they have any rights to climb in our jewish businesses their anti semitic noses one for instance like papa 90 full think what we jews needs only torah and tahach and we don't needs absolutelly don't needs that we jews don't needs babylonian talmud you know dear robby everybody think what they have any rights to dictate what we needs but what we don't needs.

The protester disagrees with you posters who are defending the violent officer. Smashing the face of a person who disagrees with you is not acceptable. A hero? I have to question the sanity and mental health of anyone who would support this pathologically sick and violently corrupt officer.

Israel has become aninsane asylum filled with just about every form of lunacy imaginable. Maybe it would have been better if the ISM People would have had free access throughout Israel proper.This way they could ally themselves with their Palestinian cohorts and kill a few dozen Israelis. Then the Judges would have been happy, all of Israel would sleep better, and the moronic politicians would blame the IDF for not doing their job. What an insane asylum Israel is today.

Really Bill?!? I have to seriously question your own moral and intellectual lack of integrity. Frankly, we know you would have applauded the scumbag and hailed him as a hero.had he taken the weapon away from the officer and hit or shot him with it. What a hypocritical piece of… work you are!

Listen scumbag, since you claim that the officers fingers were not broken, why don't you inform yourself – if your prejudices allow for an inconvenient truth, that is – and see that his fingers were indeed broken. Are you trying to tell me that you would turn the other cheek if YOUR fingers had been broken? Your prejudices are showing, but please keep talking I want the world to see your hypocrisy fully exposed!!!

Israel needs to have many water cannon vehicles to stop riots and terrorists, or stone throwers, or people like those who are out to cause harm to israel.
If they had been warned to leave, and refused, specailly in a military zzone, then use water cannon on them, with a deep colour spray. That would make them move, without any more problems.

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